May Madness: NCAA DI Selection Sunday Snubs and Surprises

The 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was announced last night, and as in most season, there were some surprises, some snubs, and some general intrigue. Unlike more recent years when several teams put forth resumes that complicated Selection Sunday, this year a lot of squads played their way in or out of the tournament and left fairly little ambiguity.

Army's loss to Hopkins effectively ended the Black Knights' bid. UMass losing the CAA final sealed their fate; same goes for Stony Brook dropping the America East. Most favorites held serve, barring exceptions like Maryland falling to Colgate, Villanova losing to Georgetown and Penn getting bumped by Harvard. We found six particular points of interest to pull out and discuss in this year's field of 16.

1. Hofstra emerges from the bubble pack

Despite compiling a 13-2 record, Hostra was on the bubble heading into Sunday, along with Harvard and Colgate, and to a lesser extent UMass, Army and Stony Brook. Delaware winning the CAA definitely bolstered the Pride's case, as Hofstra's only two losses (both to the Blue Hens) were now against a playoff team.

Colgate's big win against Maryland just wasn't enough to overcome their generally weak schedule and middling RPI (14). At 11-5, the numbers seem right, but a resume with just one big win and a few bad losses didn't make the cut. Harvard had been playing well recently, but again, not enough big wins and getting worked by Cornell in the Ivy final didn't help. Hofstra's head-to-head wins over both Colgate and Harvard also played a factor in getting the Pride that last at-large bid.

2. No. 3 Johns Hopkins draws Hofstra

Hopkins definitely had a strong enough resume to earn the three-seed. A great Strength of Schedule and RPI (4) factored with big wins over Virginia, UNC, and Maryland, along with the fact that they have been playing solid defense while scoring in bunches, makes the Blue Jays a popular pick in the tournament, but getting saddled with Hofstra is not a great way to start things off.

True the Pride grabbed the last at-large bid making them hypothetically a “lower seed." But a 13-2 team is a pretty formidable unseeded pairing, and Hofstra has been a tough foe for Hopkins in recent history. Syracuse gets Siena and Cornell gets Hartford, both tough teams but ones without a history of success against the host institutions. There are plenty of players on Hofstra that played in their win over Hopkins last year, and since 2005, this series is an even 3-3. At least the game is in Baltimore, as Long Island has been a house of horrors for the Jays.

3. No. 8 UNC hosts Maryland

This game is a surprise on a lot of levels. First, Maryland was almost a lock for a home game heading into the weekend, but that loss to Colgate really hurt the Terps' seeding. UNC and Maryland split their previous two match-ups, so saying one team deserves the home edge over the other is almost moot. That Notre Dame win was huge for the Tar Heels. Before, they were a bubble team with a strong chance to get in (solid Strength of Schedule and an RPI of 10); after it they are a seeded host. But the most shocking thing is that this match-up happened at all.

As a rule, the selection committee always avoided first round games between conference foes. This is the first time ever two ACC opponents meet in the first round. That is no small thing for the committee to alter that rule and schedule this game. It belies the complexity the committee is dealing with in trying to both make competitive matchups and deal with travel constraints. I guess, at least in the case of the ACC, the committee valued a solid eight-seed versus a strong unseeded team and an easy travel solution over the conference foe taboo.

4. The NCAA Tournament is coming to Denver

Talk about an indicator for the growth of the game — the Pioneers (how appropriate) will host the first NCAA Tournament game played West of the Mississippi River. True, Denver was obviously a lock for the field by winning the ECAC AQ, going 13-2, beating Duke and posting an RPI of 6, but there was considerable doubt that they'd host, if not for an underwhelming schedule, then for the travel issues Denver creates as a destination. But give credit to the selection committee for recognizing the great season Denver had and appropriately rewarding them. This is also a chance to seize the opportunity to grow the game and showcase a big lacrosse matchup to Western fans.

5. Virginia slips to the No. 7 seed

It was hard to pin down where Virginia might end up in this tournament. At 9-5, it was not one of their strongest years, but no one can deny the difficulty of their schedule, their great RPI (5), and their big wins over Cornell, UNC, Stony Brook, and Penn. This is a team that could have been seeded as high as four or left out of the seeding all together, and you could argue a case either way. The Cavaliers still get to host a game, but they draw Bucknell in now what might be one of the most compelling games of the first round. The Bison score more than 10 goals a tilt while holding opponents to fewer than seven. They scheme very well too, making them hard for Virginia to gameplan against.

Virginia's offense might turn over a new leaf and play better and more cohesively than ever, or they may look like a squad trying to figure out how to fill a big void. With all of the turnover and tumultuousness in Charlottesville this year, does anyone even know what Virginia team got the No. 7 seed anyway?

6. Cornell is in a tough spot as the two-seed

Congratulations to Cornell for winning the Ivy League and earning the two-seed, but boy is their path going to be tough. While Syracuse draws Siena in a game the Orange will be heavily favored in, Cornell gets Hartford, a real wildcard in that I don't think anyone really knows how dangerous they can be. The Hawks are hot right now and don't seem scared of anyone. But what lurks beyond the first-round is even more daunting for the Big Red.

Assuming Cornell beats Hartford and Virginia advances over Bucknell, the Big Red slam right into a rematch with the Cavaliers, a team they already lost to 11-9 in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic. There are no easy trips to the NCAA DI Championship, but anytime a perennial power stands in your way in May, in a rematch no less, the path to Memorial Day gets a lot tougher.